4th Reading log

Annabel Carter

Fruitvale station 

(Film)

“You shot me! I got a daughter!”

Fruitvale station a film which sticks closely to the facts of the unlawful killing of a young black man in 2009. An African American man by the name of Oscar Grant 111 was fatally shot by a white police officer inside Fruitvale Station on New Year’s day. The film begins with real life video footage of the shooting of Grant in the station, then it backtracks that one night and the life he portrays. 

By placing the real cellphone footage at the beginning of the film the viewer is already captivated into the story and holds an emotional response and personal view of the situation before even learning about his story. I personally felt anger and frustration towards the white officer from this first scene without even knowing his reasonings behind it. The events that followed in Fruitvale Station is a significant historical shooting of one ordinary man, that has raised debates on the unlawful killings of white officers to date against people of colour. 

The films time frame is set all in one day, New Years day. Grant had recently been fired from his job in the supermarket and was struggling to keep up with bills in his house to feed and sustain his daughter with his girlfriend. Hi past life had included selling drugs and having a hard time in prison and as he had to earn money in some way he resorted back to drug selling on the streets. Grant portrays kindness and is family oriented for most of the time, although he can be shown to be a complicated character, with an uncontrollable temper at times. He also has the tendency to lie about not cheating on his girlfriend and getting fired from his day job. 

Throughout the film Grant is portrayed as a caring genuine guy but one scene is said to be too far reaching in making the audience feel sympathetic towards him, it is when he comforts a dying dog on the street who had just been hit, this scene is fictional and never happened in the real grants time. It is supposed to change the viewers perception on Grant to feel and emotional response and become understanding of his actions but personally I did not find myself feeling sorry for him as the cinematography of the whole scene seemed a little too set up. 

As the film navigates through Grants day it all builds up to reach the climax of the story where Grant with three other black men lay face down on the floor of Fruitvale Station. On the 1st of January 2009 Officer Johannes Mehserle fatally shot Oscar Grant 111 in the back. Bystanders filmed the whole ordeal and pleaded to the jury that Grant did not pose any threatening evidence towards the officer and the officer had no motive to shoot the man. The theme of justice does not just come from Grants family and friends but instead a whole nation backs him, justice needs to be served to this police officer of the unlawful killing. More outrage was turned when the white officer was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter when he said he mistook his gun for a taser this is a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter which the public were hoping for. The film focuses on Grants family and friends instead of the police officer and the effects this has had on them to this day. 

I believe Fruitvalle station is a fair portrayal of Oscar Grant’s story and the justice millions of people fought so hard for him but was never received by the court. This brilliant portrait of how lack of opportunity, incarceration and racism conspire together to continually devalue the lives of young black men in America today. Fruitvale station stuck out to me as it highlights so clearly the challenges coloured people of America are facing to this day. The recurring problems with white police officers I seem to see on the news so frequently scares me as I do not want this to be the world I or my children will grow up in. I cannot imagine just how hard life would be for Grants family and friends after this tragic event. 

“I told him to take the train. I told him to catch the BART. I didn’t know they were gonna hurt my baby. I should’ve just let him drive. I should’ve let him drive, but I wanted to keep him safe. You gotta let me hug him. Please, let me hug him. Please. Please! He didn’t like to be alone”.  

This film made me reflect on my own privileges on my race and ethnic backgrounds. I live in a wealthy town that is sheltered from all the hatred that we see out in the real world. I can not begin to think about if I were in his shoes and what sacrifices I would make for the greater good of my own family. I have had no personal experience with feeling threatened by a police officer and I feel as though I shall not come across as a result of my privileges. I have not been discriminated against because of the colour of my skin and have not had to experience racial prejudice.

In a wider world context people of colour are constantly being threatened by police officers which may result in their own unlawful death. Every time I turn on the news it seems as though their is a new story on the unlawful killing of a black man by a police officer, many of them being unarmed and not threatening to anybody’s life. Not only do we hear these stories from overseas but within our own soil. New Zealand is one of the most ethically diverse country’s on earth, We have spent years trying to fix our racial discrimination and it feels as though we are reaching a solution, now its up to us to keep it that way. There have been a number of instances within the United States when 911 calls have been given to everyday people of colour that may simply just of been walking down the street. Marc Peeples a 32 year old black man was the subject to a number of 911 calls when he decided to plant seeds in a field to create a garden for himself and his family. After some time the allegations against him became more serious all who made those allegations were white. He ended up going to trial and spent time behind bars for simply trying to help out his community. This is just one example of the everyday struggles people of colour have to face on a day to day basis just like Grant had to endure during Fruitville Station.